The backstory behind this piece:

A few weeks ago, I was feeling uninspired and unmotivated to make or create anything. I knew that having novel ‘raw materials’ would help the situation and inspire me to see the world from a different angle. I foraged through the snack bin at work and spotted a bag of trail mix.

Once I got home, I cut open the bag and poured out the contents onto a paper napkin. “What do you see, Julianne?” I asked myself.

Nothing.

I was tired.

This was a silly exercise.

I started eating some cashews and peanuts. I noticed how an almond looked like the back of a woman’s head, perhaps because I was subconsciously thinking about my upcoming haircut that weekend and how I wanted it shaped with subtle rounded corners too. Then I laughed, and recognized how a whole peanut could be the back of another person’s head. Feeling a rush of new energy, suddenly a cashew appeared like another woman, tilting her head ever so slightly to the right.

I was off to the races. I had these three individuals in my mind’s eye. I started sketching out their bodies in pencil. But there was something missing. Diversity. And that’s when I saw the raisin. I knew I was set.

I’m sharing this process because so often we think we need to have the ‘finished product’ in mind when we begin. That’s Resistance. Resistance makes us believe we need to have the details all perfectly filled in before we can start. Which is why most people never get started, let alone finish. In reality, it’s about starting, iterating, reimagining, and moving forward, one step at a time.

Resistance is a tough nut to crack.

But you can overcome it if you don’t take yourself too seriously and approach everything as play. You may find the nuts have already been cracked for you, and it’s your job to rearrange them into something meaningful and delightful.

(If you’re interested, this sticker is AVAILABLE IN MY SHOP. Thank you to everyone who supports and purchases my art- as a small business owner, it means the world to me.)